AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



253 



than those of a hen, the surface exceedingly fine grained, 

 and of the highest polish and slightly yellowish, greatly 

 resembling old polished ivory. The egg measured two 

 inches and an eighth by one inch and a half. On breaking 

 one of them, the young bird was found to be nearly hatched, 

 but dead, as neither of the parents had been observed about 

 the tree during the three or four days preceding; and were 

 conjectured to have been shot. 



This tree had been occupied, probably by the same pair, 

 for four successive years, in breeding time; the person who 

 gave me the information, and whose house was within 

 twenty or thirty yards of the tree, said that he had seen the 

 female, the spring preceding, carry down thirteen young, 

 one by one, in less than ten minutes. She caught them in 

 her bill by the wing or back of the neck, and landed them 

 safely at the foot of the tree, whence she afterwards led 

 them to the water. Under this same tree, at the time I 

 visited it, a large sloop lay on the stocks, nearly finished, 

 the deck was not more than twelve feet distant from the 

 nest, yet notwithstanding the presence and noise of the 

 workmen, the ducks would not abandon their old breeding 

 place, but continued to pass out and in as if no person had 

 been near. The male usually perched on an adjoining limb, 

 and kept watch while the female was laying; and also often 

 while she was sitting. A tame goose had chosen a hollow 

 space at the root of the same tree, to lay and hatch her 

 young in. 



The Summer Duck seldom flies in flocks of more than 

 three or four individuals together, and most commonly in 

 pairs, or singly. The common note of the drake is peet, 

 peet; but, when standing sentinel, he sees danger, he makes 

 a noise not unlike the crowing of a young cock, oe eek! 

 oe eek! Their food consists principally of acorns, chesnuts, 

 seeds of the wild oats, and insects. Their flesh is inferior 

 to that of the Blue-winged Teal. They are frequent in the 

 markets of Philadelphia and New York. 



Among other gaudy feathers with which the Indians or- 

 nament the calumet, or pipe of peace, the skin of the head 

 and neck of the Summer Duck is frequently seen covering 

 the stem. 



This beautiful bird has often been tamed, and soon be- 

 comes so familiar as to permit one to stroke its back with 

 the hand. I have seen individuals so tamed in various 

 parts of the Union. Captain Boyce, collector of the port 

 of Havre-de-Grace, informs me that about forty years ago, 

 a Mr. Nathan Nicols, who lived on the west side of Gun- 

 powder creek, had a whole yard s\varming with Summer 

 Ducks, which he had tamed and completely domesticated, 

 so that they bred and were as familiar as any other tame 

 fowls; that he (Capt. Boyce) himself saw them in that state, 

 but does not know what became of them. Latham says 

 3S 



that they are often kept in European menageries, and will 

 breed there. 



The Wood Duck is nineteen inches in length, and two 

 feet four inches in extent, bill red, margined with black; a 

 spot of black lies between the nostrils, reaching nearly to 

 the tip, which is also of the same colour, and furnished with 

 a large hooked nail; irides orange red; front, crown, and 

 pendent crest rich glossy bronze green ending in violet, 

 elegantly marked with a line of pure white running from • 

 the upper mandible over the eye, and with another band of 

 white proceeding from behind the eye, both mingling their 

 long pendent plumes with the green and violet ones, pro- 

 ducing a rich effect ; cheeks and sides of the upper neck 

 violet; chin, throat, and collar round the neck pure white, 

 curving up in the form of a crescent nearly to the posterior 

 part of the eye; the white collar is bounded below with 

 black; breast dark violet brown, marked on the fore part 

 with minute triangular spots of white, increasing in size 

 until they spread into the white of the belly; each side of 

 the breast is bounded by a large crescent of white, and that 

 again by a broader one of deep black; sides under the wings 

 thickly and beautifully marked with fine undulating parallel 

 lines of black, on a ground of yellowish drab; the flanks are 

 ornamented with broad alternate semicircular bands of black 

 and white; sides of the vent rich light violet; tail-coverts 

 long, of a hair-like texture at the sides, over which they 

 descend, and of a deep black glossed with green; back 

 dusky bronze, reflecting green; scapulars black; tail taper- 

 ing, dark glossy green above, below dusky; primaries 

 dusky, silvery hoary without, tipt with violet blue; secon- 

 daries greenish blue, tipt with white; wing-coverts violet 

 blue tipt with black; vent dusky; legs and feet yellowish 

 red, claws strong and hooked. The above is an accurate 

 description. 



The female has the head slightly crested, crown dark 

 purple, behind the eye a bar of white; chin, and throat for 

 two inches, also white; head and neck dark drab; breast 

 dusky brovi'n, marked with large triangular spots of white; 

 back dark glossy bronze brown, with some gold and green- 

 ish reflections. Speculum of the wings nearly the same as 

 in the m.ale, but the fine pencilling of the sides, and the long 

 hair-like tail-coverts, are wanting; the tail is also shorter." 



SHOOTING PARTIES. 



At an annual shooting match at St. Stephen, N. B. 30th 

 ult. two parties of seven men each, returned 100 partridges, 

 6 black ducks, 6 robins, 17 woodcocks, 70 squirrels, 2 yel- 

 low hammers, 2 snipes, 2 blackbirds, 1 pigeon, 2 jays, 1 

 rabbit, 1 bear — total 214. 



